Talking Piece Podcast

The latest episode of the Talking Piece find us in conversation with Rory. a beneficiary of the MIND and Aspire programme at Northern Ireland Alternatives. Rory talks openly about what was happening in his life before being referred to Alternatives and also talks very warmly of the help he received while working with us. This is an inspiring story of hope, that when some people don't see any futur...

episode 7 of our latest season focusses on the impact of the STARS programme. Striving Towards A Restorative Society seeks to increase the use of restorative practices within a number of targeted communities. On this episode we hear from more participants who have taken part in the initiative, specifically how they are using what they have learned in day to day life and in their work life as well....

This weeks episode explores the B.A.N.D. project (Build, Advocate, Nurture, Develop) for aspiring leaders from within the PUL community. Northern Ireland Alternatives' Operations Manager, Debbie Hammier explains the need for the project and where it fits into the restorative ethos of the organisation and Stacey Graham, talks about the benefits she has received as a result of participating on the p...

This weeks episode explores work being done at Alternatives in the area of restorative wellbeing. Utilising a joined approach to physical and mental health with a restorative element has really seen great results, we hear from Restorative practitioner Pete Wray and some participants on the programme, about what happens and how it has helped them deal with things in their day to day lives

This weeks episode looks briefly at the purpose and impact of the SAFE project, the work that has been carried out so far and some of the learning that has taken place as a result of it. The SAFE project forms part of a wider programme funded through Communities in Transition funding.

This week's episode explores an event organised by Alternatives to engage local churches with our work and also to explore the connection between the values of restorative justice and the teachings of the church. Greater Shankill Alternatives site Manager, Billy Drummond explains about how the event came about and some of the attendees share their thoughts and what they walked away with from the e...

The latest episode of the Talking Piece podcast follows up on work being done through our BUILD project which seeks to address the issues caused by dereliction in the Shankill area and how we are working as an organisation to restore the landscape of the area and seek to regenerate unused land for the good of the community.

Mark Finnis is the director of L30 relational systems and an Independent Thinking associate and one of the UK's leading exponents of restorative practice. With many years experience working with schools, local government agencies and social services, he is in great demand as a speaker and trainer, helping organisations adopt restorative practices in a way that is practical and achievable. We caugh...

The last episode of season 2 finds us in conversation with Stuart Douglas and Beverly Brown who work on NI Alternatives programme, Aspire. Aspire seeks to work specifically with young men in Northern Ireland in a restorative manner. You will hear from Stuart and Beverly how this works and some of the impact their work has had, you will also hear from a beneficiary of the programme and how working...

Episode 18 of the Talking Piece podcast focusses on mental health. Greater Shankill Alternatives has been providing access to a technique called havening that aims to help people deal with trauma's they have faced and work towards reducing the impact of anxiety that comes through them. We hear from 3 participants all with very different issues they have faced and they talk with our resident therap...

Episode 8 of Season 2 finds us in conversation with Stephen and Alan from the STARS programme - Talking about the impact of restorative practice training and application of restorative skills and thats transforming individuals and their connection within their communities. It's great to hear stories like Alan's and how learning about restorative practice and putting it into practice has had an imp...

Episode 7 finds us in conversation with Billy Drummond and other partners in the BUILD (Better Understanding in Local Development)Project. Looking at some of the development issues faced by the Greater Shankill community and how this project seeks to address them.

Episode 6 finds us in conversation with STARs workers, Jonny Armstrong and Stephen Hollywood, talking about the work of the STARS project, the impact that it is having on participants and how participants are living out restorative values in their personal lives and within the wider community.

This episode finds us in conversation with our friends at Longmont Community Justice Partnership, talking about their documentary "How to love your enemy", We are joined by Kathleen McGoey, Dan Sidders and Matt Battalgia talking about the reason behind the documentary and the success RJ has been in their community and specifically the relationship LCJP has with local police. The documentary can be...

To celebrate restorative justice week we are releasing a special episode of the podcast that finds us in conversation with James Simon the CEO of Restorative Justice Council UK. James has a long history of implementing restorative practices within schools and shares how he was introduced to restorative practice, and the story of that first implementation in school he was head teacher at. He then g...

Episode 3 is a live broadcast that was facilitated via Streamyard and broadcast live to our YouTube channel to celebrate Good Relations week in Northern Ireland. Featuring the LINCS programme facilitated by NI Alternatives and a programme from one of our partner organisations CRJI, namely their Travellers, as well as our jointly delivered new restorative practice project STARS. We talk about the i...

Episode 2 of our new season finds us in conversation with Howard Zehr. Howard is one of the pioneers of the restorative justice movement and his books Changing Lenses and the Little Book of Restorative Justice are well known and required reading across the field. We caught up with Howard during lockdown to have this conversation via Zoom. His wealth of experience and insight was an absolute privil...

Welcome to the first episode of our brand new season! This episode launches a brand new project that aims to expand the use of restorative justice practice across a range of identified communitites. Funded by The Executive Office and Cooperation Ireland, and facilitated by CRJI and NIA, STARS (Striving Towards A Restorative Society)seeks to train and enable community based volunteers to implement...

Episode 10 is very different from what we at Talking Piece had originally planned. Our way of life has been seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. NI Alternatives is working to provide support to the most vulnerable in our communities during this time and all 5 of our sites are working to provide: • daily telephone support to families • sharing essential information with families who require...

Episode 9 finds us in conversation with Lindsey Pointer and Kathleen McGoey, two respected restorative trainers and practitioners from Colorado, USA. Lindsey and Kathleen are about to release their book "The Little Book of Restorative Teaching Tools" on March 10th. The book aims to provide trainers and facilitators with interactive games to teach the principles and practices of restorative justice...

Episode 8 finds us in conversation with the team from our North Belfast office. The team talk about the origins of the office and the early days of implementing restorative justice in the community, through to the strengthening of the team and working in schools, and the wider surrounding community. The team here are a real success story in regard to how to implement restorative practices and buil...

Episode 7 is an interview with the team from Bangor Alternatives. The team talk about their community safety origins and growing into a restorative justice project as Alternatives. The core concepts of building relationships, maintaining community and repairing harm are clearly identificable as the team outlines the way restorative practice underpins the work that they are doing in the community....

Episode 6 finds us in conversation with the Alternatives staff team from our South Belfast office. We find out more about the programmes and services they offer and how restorative practice impacts all that they do. There are some great examples of restorative practice in action as well as personal insights into how this has impacted each team member. Remember you can email the show via podcast@al...

Episode 5 - Shankill office manager Billy Drummond in conversation with youth work students who visited Alternatives to find out more about Restorative Justice and how it could be applied to youth work practice. Billy gives an insight into some of the history of the organisation and how restorative justice has shaped everything that we do. Follow and subscribe on Soundcloud.com/talkingpiece, Apple...

Episode 4 captures one of the most distinguished voices in Restorative Justice in full flow at the Restorative Practice Forum NI International Conference that took place in Belfast in 2019. Professor Braithwaite is known across the world for his knowledge and research in Restorative Justice. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast via Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well. www.alternatives...